Syphilis


What Is It?

Syphilis (pronounced: siff-ill-iss) is a STDs caused by a type of bacteria known as a spirochetes spirochete (through a microscope, it looks like a corkscrew or spiral). It is extremely small and can live almost anywhere in the body.

The spirochetes that cause syphilis can be passed from one person to
another through direct contact with a syphilis sore during sexual
intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral sex). The infection can also be
passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy. You cannot catch
syphilis from a towel, doorknob, or toilet seat.

In the 1990s there was a decrease in the number of people infected
with syphilis. However, more recently there has been a steady increase
in reported cases of syphilis, especially in young adults and in men who
have male sexual partners.

In its early stages, syphilis is easily treatable. However, if left
untreated, it can cause serious problems — even death. So it's important
to understand as much as you can about this disease.
What Are the Symptoms?

Syphilis occurs in several different stages:

Primary Syphilis

In the first stage of syphilis, red, firm, and sometimes wet sores
that don't hurt appear on the vagina, rectum, penis, or mouth. There is
often just one sore, but there may be several. This type of sore is
called a chancre (pronounced: shang-ker).
Chancres appear on the part of the body where the spirochetes moved
from one person to another. Someone with syphilis may also have swollen
glands during this first stage.

After a few weeks, the chancre will disappear, but that's not a sign
that the disease has gone away. In fact, if the infection hasn't been
treated, the disease will continue to get worse.

Syphilis is highly contagious during this first stage. Unfortunately,
it can be easy to miss because the chancres are painless and can appear
in areas that may not be easy to see, like in the mouth, under the
foreskin, or on the anus. This means that people may not know that they
are infected, and can pass the disease on to others without realizing
it.
Secondary Syphilis

If syphilis hasn't been treated yet, the person will often break out
in a rash (especially on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands)
and may also notice flu-like symptoms, such as fever and achiness. This
can happen weeks to months after the chancre first appears. Sometimes
the rashes associated with syphilis can be very faint or look like
rashes from other infections and, therefore, may not be noticed. Sores
sometimes appear on the lips, mouth, throat, vagina, and anus — but many
people with secondary syphilis don't have sores at all.

The symptoms of this secondary stage will go away with or without
treatment. But if the infection hasn't been treated, the disease can
continue to progress. Syphilis is still contagious during the secondary
stage.

Latent Syphilis

If syphilis still hasn't been treated yet, the person will have a
period of the illness called latent (hidden) syphilis. This means that
all the signs of the disease go away, but the disease is still very much
there. Even though the disease is "hiding," the spirochetes are still
in the body. Syphilis can remain latent for many years.

Tertiary Syphilis

If the disease still hasn't been treated at this point, some develop
tertiary (or late-stage) syphilis. This means the spirochetes have
spread all over the body and can affect the brain, the eyes, the heart,
the spinal cord, and bones. Symptoms of late syphilis can include
difficulty walking, numbness, gradual blindness, and possibly even
death.

How Long Until Symptoms Appear?

A person who has been exposed to the spirochetes that cause syphilis
may notice a chancre from 10 days to 3 months later, though the average
is 3 weeks. If the syphilis is not treated, the second stage of the
disease may occur anywhere from about 2 to 10 weeks after the original
sore (chancre). It's important to keep in mind that many people never
notice any symptoms of syphilis. This means it is important to let your
doctor know that you are having sex, so that he or she can test you for
syphilis even if you don't have any symptoms.

What Can Happen?

Syphilis can be very dangerous if left untreated. In both guys and
girls, the spirochetes can spread throughout the whole body, infecting
major organs. Brain damage and other serious health problems can occur,
many of which can't be treated. A woman who is pregnant and hasn't been
effectively treated is at great risk of putting her baby in danger.
Untreated syphilis also can cause major birth defects. Syphilis also
increases the risk of HIV infection because HIV can enter the body more
easily when there's a sore present.

How Is It Treated?

If you think you may have syphilis or if you have had sexual contact
with someone who might have syphilis, see your doctor or gynecologist
right away. It can sometimes be difficult to spot chancres. So it's
important to get checked on a regular basis, especially if you have had
unprotected sex and/or more than one sex partner.

Depending on the stage, the doctor can make a diagnosis by examining
the discharge from chancres under a special microscope or by doing a
blood test to look for signs of infection. Let the doctor know the best
way to reach you confidentially with any test results.

Early stages of syphilis are easily cured with antibiotics. Someone
who has been infected for a while will need treatment for a longer
period of time. Unfortunately, damage to the body from the late stage of
syphilis cannot be treated. However, even in the late stage, it is
important to get treatment. This can prevent further damage to the body.
Anyone with whom you've had unprotected sex should also be checked for
syphilis immediately.

How Is Syphilis Prevented?

The best way to prevent any STD is to not have sex. However, for
people who decide to have sex, it's important to use protection and to
have as few sexual partners as possible. Latex condoms
are effective against most STDs; however, if there are any sores or
rashes that cannot be covered by the condom, it's wise to not have sex
until rashes or other skin breaks have healed and the person has seen a
doctor for treatment.